Serendipitously
by CapAleran2
Summary: A single moment of clarity. A quiet exchange that fueled the future. Summer Fic Exchange 2018


**Summer Exchange Fic** for tardisthroughthefandoms on tumblr

FT Gajevy

 _A single moment of clarity. A quiet exchange that fueled the future._

Basically written to the entirety of _Audiomachine's La Belle Époque_ album.

* * *

The scent of clean and crisp printed pages immediately waifed to her nostrils as she opened the new novel. Her thumb ran along the width, flipping the stiff paper from one side to the other. Pleasant, unbidden memories came softly back to her. The weight and feel of the book in her hands was a comfort. It was all familiar. A constant.

Unlike what life had decided to hand her.

An inaudible sigh escaped from her parted lips.

Levy shut the cover and stared at it for a short moment, then placed it back in its slot on the shelf. Rows of printed media of various height and thickness lined the wall in mismatched display shelves.

The hole-in-the-wall bookshop, Corner Post -as the name suggested- was tucked away in a corner between two other business fronts on a side street on which no one but the town residents traveled. Business was usually slow. And for Levy, it was neither good nor bad.

On slow, rainy days, she would sit on the large couch in one of the display windows and read a randomly selected book off a random shelf. It gave her time to simply be and enjoy the preferred reading weather. If a customer did happen to wander in, the sweet bluenette was quick to move on her feet, offering any assistance she could provide. However, mostly Levy loathed the quiet while on the clock.

As much as she loved the general quiet, it wasn't good for her business.

She had all but given up. Was there any use in still trying? Physical books were being replaced with ebooks and online reading. Most didn't get the daily paper anymore now that the town's newspaper was updated on the internet. No one came in much at all, even to browse around to pass time. Levy could order certain books on request as well, but it was easier for potential customers to order it all themselves on their own time.

No matter how clean she managed to keep the store or the number of discounts she offered on popular genres or authors, Levy couldn't attract the business she desperately needed.

Staring out of the large window at the deserted streets, Levy let out a sigh. Dark rain clouds rolled overhead. She didn't know that with the coming rain would bring her saving grace.

* * *

A drop of something cold fell on his forehead. It rolled down his skin until it reached his eyebrow. A deep roll of thunder threatened him, the lightning a moment after giving him a chance to find shelter before the rain began to intensify.

Gajeel made his way to the sidewalk from the open street. His boots made dull thuds upon the dirty concrete as he casually tread. He raised the collar up on his black, leather jacket to keep the cold air from the back of his neck.

No one was out and about. The gloomy weather would do that. Ducking his head, Gajeel hunched his shoulders as he stepped. Thoughts were of nothing in particular, mainly finding indoor shelter before he ended up soaked to the bone. The guitar case slung over his back needed out of the rain to protect the precious contents within.

He had been traveling for quite some time. The road from here to there was never-ending, one place never satisfying his need for more. As content as he was in being alone, it wasn't appealing to be stagnant unless there was something keeping him tied down. Aside from his instrument, the road was his closest friend.

Lightning flashed, white-hot and dangerously close. It stopped him in his tracks. Absorbed in his own mind he hadn't realized the cold rain was now unleashing with a roar from its heavenly vaults in thick sheets. If he ever needed to stay put, it was now.

He ducked under a low hanging awning over the sidewalk to his left and looked up at the angered, blackened sky. His gaze flickered then to his environment. He was on a side street, one with older style buildings.

No chairs or another place to sit presented itself, so he hunkered down with a red-tipped cigarette and waited for the worst of the storm to pass, settling to lean his backside against one of the brick building's walls.

A tiny bell jingled beside him. Letting out the smoke through parted lips, Gajeel turned towards the sound.

He was not expecting to see anyone, let alone a woman all by herself. He couldn't help but stare with suppressed surprise. Her cerulean hair was loose all around her face, and the back of it brushed against her shoulders. She held a book in her hand, a finger marking where she had left off. Her other hand was squished between the glass door and her thin body.

"Um," she said, and briefly bit her lip. "Do, um... would you like to get out of the rain?"

Gajeel took another breath and then blew out the rest of his smoke. He tossed the cigarette filter onto the wet pavement. Curiosity piqued, he said nothing as he took over holding the door open.

The musty scent of old books and furniture hit his nostrils when he let the heavy glass shut behind him. His red eyes flickered across the main room. It was a little stuffy and quiet. He thought he heard a clock ticking somewhere.

The woman placed a bookmark in between the pages of the book and set it on the front counter. "Can I get you anything?" she asked nervously.

"This is a bookstore," he said as a question, ignoring her polite hospitality. He eventually noticed the way her eyes never met his when she spoke and if they did, it was for but a moment. A second before they were cast down.

"Yes, it's my bookstore. What's left of it anyways."

Gajeel looked around again. The place was clean and tidy. There were books abundant. He relieved his shoulder of the guitar case and propped it up against the counter, making sure it wouldn't fall over.

He glanced at her standing beside the counter, not expecting the woman's gaze to be on him. To his right was a small bookshelf. He reached out to take a random one from its place. "Don't ya have to check these out with a card?"

For the first time in a while, Levy let her lips curl upwards. "That would be a library."

"What's the difference?" he asked rhetorically. His thumb opened the cover and he flipped through its innards, not really paying attention to his actions.

"Well, a library is a place of borrowing," she replied. Her voice was soft and informative. She watched him slowly stride down the hardwood aisle, the book still in his hand. "You can buy these without having to return them."

She shifted her weight and curiously eyed his leather jacket, silently asking questions that would probably never be answered; he was passing through, a no one to her. And she was no one to him.

His gaze shifted from the shelves as if looking for anyone else besides the two of them. "You get any customers?" he asked.

Levy twisted her lips. "Not really," she murmured.

Gajeel didn't know what to say to that. He set the book down on top of a half shelf and walked back to his case, laying his hand on the clean countertop. What does one say to another they just met? The awkwardness was beginning to creep in and threaten to settle in the air between them. He'd rather be outside in the cold air. "Why not?"

"I don't know. The market for books just isn't what it used to be, I guess," she replied softly. She casually moved to the nearest cushioned chair and leaned her backside on the wide armrest.

"I take it ya write too," he prompted. He noticed the lined notebooks and pencil cup within arm's reach of him. There was something interesting about her. Something odd. Something comfortable.

"I do." Her eyes met his gaze. And she was then aware that his own were red. The only other color to stand out on his person. "Are you a musician?" she asked, motioning with her hand.

The mysterious man perked up a bit at the mention of his skill. "Yea."

"How long?"

"All my life. You?"

Surprised by the one-word question, Levy struggled not to squint as her mind worked for understanding. "Excuse me?" she simply asked.

"How long ya been a bookworm?" His mouth twitched in a kind of small grin.

She tried to hide her amusement at his charm and pushed some of her hair out of her face behind her ear. "All my life," she replied.

Gajeel slowly nodded as he glanced around. He struggled not to stare at her, and he didn't want to overstay his welcome or become a bother. He picked up his instrument case and started to sling it over his shoulder in order to leave, but halted when Levy spoke up.

"Wait."

It was the loudest volume she had spoken upon meeting. More forceful than her near mumblings and far from a shout, she sounded as if she were more afraid of loss than of him in general.

Rising from the armrest, she took a few hesitant steps toward him. Her arms crossed in front of her chest before they finally unfolded. "Um, I don't know your name."

"I don't know yours either," he started. He simply stood facing the woman, having suspended his actions as he stared down at her.

Levy slowly let out an inaudible breath. "This little shop doesn't get very many visitors. Uh, would you want to stay a while?"

She was taking a chance. Not only did she not know the man's name, she was prepared to let him stay inside -to be alone with him- at least until she closed up for the night. If she was honest with herself, she was lonely. The small portion of meager conversation they had had was enough to leave her with a want for more, never mind that he was a stranger.

It was apparent they shared some sort of common ground.

Still standing there thinking through her offer and the different ways it could progress for him, he slowly set the case back. A warm place to rest, a chair to sit in over the hard, dirty -and now wet- ground outside, it was appealing. And so was the chance to continue conversing with someone calming. Someone who understood creativity in its various forms. He didn't need to know her to sense that.

"If ya've got any food, yeah, I'll stay for a for a bit."

He didn't miss the smile that appeared there on her face. The sweet expression alone caused him to set down the heavy case. Without realizing what was happening, his facial features mirrored hers.


End file.
